Conventionally, electric vehicles having a line connection structure for electric equipment including an inverter or the like mounted in an engine room are known.
For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-262894 (Patent Document 1) discloses a structure including a bracket that deforms following deformation of a vehicle frame member, and an inverter fixed to the vehicle frame member via the bracket. Here, the inverter also displaces following the displacement of the bracket, whereby a high voltage line connected to the inverter is prevented from being caught between the vehicle frame member and the inverter.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-291663 (Patent Document 2) discloses connecting a high voltage cable, which connects a fuel cell stack behind a control unit and the control unit, to a lower surface on the rear side of the control unit.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-102111 (Patent Document 3) discloses connecting a high voltage cable to a box at a position being offset to the side of a traction motor.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 2005-104386 (Patent Document 4) and 2005-104387 (Patent Document 5) disclose connecting a power supply cable to a terminal block provided at a gear case installed on the vehicle rear side of a generator case.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-306846 (Patent Document 6) discloses that a high voltage cable connecting an inverter and a motor-generator is arranged on the rear side of an engine.
In an electric vehicle, electric equipment of relatively high voltage tends to be used, in order to obtain sufficient drive force, for example. Accordingly, a high-voltage cable is connected to such electric equipment. In such a case, when a front structure of the electric equipment deforms due to an external factor such as front collision, the high-voltage cable may be caught between the front structure and the electric equipment.
From another standpoint, when a line is positioned between the electric equipment and a further component, there may be a case where the clearance between the electric equipment and the further component is narrow and not much space is left for arranging the line.
In Patent Document 1, the high voltage line is prevented from being caught between the vehicle frame member and the inverter by providing the bracket that deforms following deformation of the vehicle frame member. Such provision of the bracket increases the number of components.
In Patent Documents 2 and 3, the high voltage line is connected to the lower surface of the electric equipment. Merely connecting the high voltage line to the lower surface of the electric equipment may be insufficient for protecting the cable.
In Patent Documents 4 and 5, the power supply cable is connected to the rear side surface of the generator case. However, Patent Documents 4 and 5 are silent about the idea of reducing the space required for installing the line positioned between the electric equipment and the further component.
Patent Document 6 is silent about where in the inverter the high voltage line is connected to.